The holiday season may feel a long way off, but for a truly personal and artisanal gift, a one-of-a-kind bespoke project, the clock is already ticking.
These brands specialize in just that: pieces created by hand to your exacting designs and specifications, and never to be replicated. Maybe you’re looking for top-of-the-range headphones to match your jet. Or could it be a suit for a pirate-esque get together? Or even an engraved signet ring, depicting a favored holiday destination in full color? For all of the above and more, here’s who Elite Traveler recommends.
The best brands for luxury bespoke gifts
Angel Ramos
New York-based tailor Angel Ramos has been doing suiting differently since he launched his eponymous label in 2015. “We have an edge of rebelliousness,” says Ramos. “We dwell on the unexpected.” You’ll find classic lines and traditional materials, but all done with an edge – maybe a zebra print smoking jacket or an ikat tux.
Angel Ramos does ready-to-wear, but looks to the bespoke division for something really special. “I go and see all clients personally at trunk shows and pop-ups and around the world,” Ramos says. “We have fun when we collaborate as most of my clients are as fun as I am – even if they’re in banking or real estate, they’ve created their own personal brand via tailoring.”
While most go to Ramos for their suits and day wear, others are a little more off-piste: “I have an interesting group of bespoke clients in Tampa, Florida, who are part of a pirate club, with ‘crews’ dating back 40/50 years. I’ve created a number of bespoke pirate-like ensembles for their formal nights.”
Timescale: 8-10 weeks
Cece Jewellery
A pair of dobermans; mermaids and whales; Mickey Mouse emerging from a Birkin; a tiny slice of pumpkin pie – all recreated in miniature on rings, pendants, or bracelets by London brand Cece Jewellery for bespoke clients.
“I ask them which realm they feel most drawn to: land, sea, or sky, as this guides the emotional tone of the design,” says founder Cece Fein-Hughes. “From there, we delve into motifs, symbols, colors, memories… anything that holds meaning.”
Once Fein-Hughes has completed the design, it gets passed to a team of specialists (several of whom are among the last in the world carrying out their craft) to engrave and paint the scenes by hand. The resulting pieces are infinitely personal: “Something that seems whimsical or ordinary to one person can mean the world to another, and that’s exactly what makes bespoke so extraordinary,” Fein-Hughes says.
Timescale: 4-6 months
Alexandra Llewellyn
“The essence of bespoke is distilling what your clients want, because they very often don’t know,” says designer Alexandra Llewellyn. “With us, the possibilities are endless.” Games, especially backgammon, are the core of her custom business, but this has expanded into wine cases, jewelry boxes, and furniture. If you want it, the chances are Alexandra Llewellyn can do it.
She designs each piece herself, working closely with clients to unearth secrets and stories from their life. The games are imagined in precise marquetry, with each color shade using an individual piece of wood. Many of her pieces feature a seemingly limitless amount of hidden drawers and compartments, unbeknownst to the owner.
“One client in India still hasn’t found all the secrets in his backgammon set,” Llewellyn says. Another commissioned a piece for her husband and hid a love letter in each compartment; the biggest surprise of all though, was an extra and far more risque message concealed under a false lining. Though she has a small team working with her (and a select network of craftspeople around the UK), everything is assembled under her watchful eye in the London workshop.
Timescale: from 5 months
Davì Audio
Len Davì launched Davì Audio after identifying a gap in the market for art-led custom personal headphones. Led by product designer Todd Metlen, who has 12 patents to his name and counting, Davì Audio has formulated a number of acoustic innovations to create its high-performance headphones. But, while its proprietary tech is cool, what really puts Davì on a pedestal amid a world of pure-white earbuds is its bold – even garish – look.
Davì has a signature line of pre-set designs (although each pair is still made to order), but its custom range is where things get interesting. The bespoke program allows clients to tailor every element of the headphones, be it choosing the same veneer as the dashboard on your favorite motor, using the same leather as the upholstery in your yacht, or maybe a matching color palette to your jet interior. Every custom piece is designed in Italy, and finally assembled in Davì’s US workshop. Purchase is on application only.
Timescale: 8-12 weeks
Hedley Studios
A new car with a big red bow for a special birthday? Kind of done. A re-purposed one-of-a-kind motor, built to your exact specs? Now we’re talking. Hedley Motors specializes in just that, taking classic builds and repurposing them to modern specs (and in turn electrifies them).
The extent of customization borders on baffling – a recent collaboration with London shoemaker George Cleverly reimagined a Bentley Blower using reindeer leather from the Metta Catharina shipwreck of 1786. The wreck was salvaged in 1973 and George Cleverly secured a small portion of the rare material.
Some was used to make a pair of shoes for King Charles III and the rest is only available to the most select commissions. Hedley Studios has used it sparingly on the hand-stitched steering wheel and seatbelt covers. On the other end of the spectrum, Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac reportedly just gifted a miniature Bugatti in baby pink to a friend’s child.
Timescale: 3-6 months
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury
A custom suit is no new thing – walk in to any Savile Row tailor and a tape measure will be dropped before you can blink. Creating the silks that line that suit, however, is a touch more special. While Whitcomb & Shaftesbury is best known for its sharp over coats, the tailor is also building a reputation for its entirely custom silk linings, printed with any sentimental scene a client desires.
Past examples, say co-founder Suresh Ramakrishnan, include the final scoreboard of a record-breaking test match for an international cricketer, like-for-like recreations of a clients’ childs’ drawings, and a favored illustration by a renowned comic book artist. Tucked away inside the linings of a suit or jacket, these silks remain a prized secret – until, of course, the wearer chooses to reveal them.
Unlike many London tailors, Whitcomb & Shaftesbury does all its measurements on-site and its silks are made in Cuomo, Italy, but ultimately (and proudly) has the final assembly completed to exacting standards in its workshop in Chenai, India.
Timescale: 10-12 weeks
Johnnie Walker Vault
With the arrival of Johnnie Walker Princess Street – a flashy new Edinburgh HQ for Diageo’s biggest whisky brand – in 2021 came a host of new immersive experiences and activations. Among the latest, and the most exclusive, is The Vault Experience, which takes just a handful of clients deep into the Diageo archive to create a complete bespoke, one-of-a-kind blend.
A pre-arrival questionnaire delves deep, covering everything from childhood memories to favorite records. From here, Johnnie Walker’s master blender Emma Walker taps into her supplies, pulling from niche distilleries across the group to create a singular whisky.
The final tasting takes place in person at JW Princess Street’s underground vault, and the finished product is delivered by hand in Baccarat crystal decanter. Another bottle will remain in the Diageo archive for years to come. Included in the price is access to the brand’s concierge team, who will arrange a special Edinburgh itinerary.
Timescale: 16 weeks+
Daniel Ashley
If you’ve curated a tailored wardrobe from scratch, it follows that those garments should be properly stored – and what could be more appropriate than custom-made hangers? For such a request, look to New York-based Daniel Ashley. More than just a label, Daniel Ashley acts more like a member’s club for its clients and collections are produced in highly limited runs.
Among the latest products in its portfolio are its Carrara marble clothes hangers, each constructed in Italy, personally engraved in gold or platinum leaf, and finished with an 18-karat gold, silver, or platinum hook. Clients have their choice of marble too, from dusky pink to lapis-blue. Wooden hangers begone forvermore.
Timescale: 1-2 months
